To be or not to be: Is Benedict Cumberbatch the new 'Hamlet'?

Hollywood stars onstage.

Susan King

British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who is having a stellar year with "Star Trek Into Darkness" and the upcoming "12 Years a Slave," "The Fifth Estate" and "August: Osage County," will be brushing up on his Shakespeare next fall on the London stage, London's Daily Mail reported Friday.

The Daily Mail said producer Sonia Friedman confirmed she was in "active discussions" with Cumberbatch to have the actor play Shakesepeare's Hamlet in a new production to be directed by Lyndsey Turner. Other recent British actors who have played the Melancholy Dane include Jude Law, Ben Whishaw, Mark Rylance and former "Dr. Who" David Tennant.

"We're at the stage of sorting out schedules concerning him and the director Lyndsey Turner," Friedman told the Daily Mail.